


Adversus Mortem Cum Risu

by gentledove



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Angst with a Happy Ending, Bad Boy Harry Potter, Bad Ron Weasley, Betrayal, Eventual Happy Ending, F/M, Happy Ending, Multi, Revenge
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-07-22
Updated: 2020-07-22
Packaged: 2021-03-05 03:48:33
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 3,742
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25437964
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/gentledove/pseuds/gentledove
Summary: Hermione has discovered that she is dying of an unknown cancer.  She tells her friends but later overhears their plans to betray her.  She seeks support and revenge from unexpected allies.  Happy ending guaranteed for Hermione Granger, Thorfinn Rowle, and Antonin Dolohov.
Relationships: Antonin Dolohov/Hermione Granger, Antonin Dolohov/Hermione Granger/Thorfinn Rowle, Hermione Granger/Thorfinn Rowle
Comments: 25
Kudos: 148
Collections: Revenge is a Dish Best Served Ice Cold





	1. Diagnosis - Prognosis

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Kathleen Kelly](https://archiveofourown.org/gifts?recipient=Kathleen+Kelly).



"So you can treat me?"

"No, Miss Granger. We can BUT we won't. While I am sure that our healers could treat your condition...although how successful that would be, I am not sure...but we will not. Purebloods are our bread and butter and if they see and/or hear of a muggleborn being treated in our hospital, at best they will consider us to be "tainted" and they will go elsewhere. And that includes their money. So no, Miss Granger, we can do nothing to help you."

Hermione stayed silent for a moment before arising and saying, "Thank you very much for speaking with me. I didn't intend for your facility to run into any problems because of me so I am most grateful that you were honest and explained the situation to me. Have a good day!" And with that, she walked out the door, through the hospital, and out into muggle London.

"Shit...one down...one to go!" And then she was gone.

**HG-TR~~~HG-TR~~~HG-TR~~~HG-TR~~~HG-TR**

"So, doctor," Hermione queried. "Do you know what is wrong with me and more importantly, can you fix it?"

"Well, Miss Granger," he replied. "After all the tests and examinations, we are sure you have a form of cancer but we do not understand its origination, nor can we cure it. It "appears" to be related to that purple scar you have across your chest and abdomen. We do not know though why or how you got it or what exactly it is. And because of that, we cannot cure you. We can, however, extend your life as much as possible."

"How long?" Hermione interrupted. "How long can you extend it?"

"Well now, it's hard to say," the doctor replied. "Since we don't know its origin, nor the exact kind of cancer we are dealing with, all we can do is treat the symptoms as they occur. Further, we can base treatment on what has worked for the extension of life in other cancers...."

Hermione interrupted again. "How long do I have? Please, doctor..."

The doctor thought for a moment and then he said, "Well, Miss Granger, one thing we have is that you are young and other than for this, in good health. Also, you came to be seen as soon as this problem presented itself. Based on what I know of other cancers and your symptoms, you have between six months and three years. Most likely though, I think you have about 18-24 months, max." 

He really hated having to tell young people that they were going to die... "So, Miss Granger, are you interested in extending what time you have left or would you prefer to just be made comfortable for the foreseeable future?"

"I want whatever time you can give me, please. I know that some would choose quality over quantity, but I am young and life is sweet...I am in no hurry to cross over! That, and I have had quite a rough life...I seriously doubt that life-extending treatment could be worse than what I have already overcome." 

Continuing she said, "And besides, although you don't have a name for the kind of cancer I have, there is always the possibility that with time, you will discover what exactly is wrong and how to cure me. That wouldn't be possible if I just chose to be made "comfortable".

"What a refreshing outlook, Miss Granger. It will be a pleasure to work with you...and as you said, with enough time, perhaps we can determine what kind of cancer you have and hopefully cure it. Now let's make an appointment for next week so I can introduce you to the rest of my team and we can plot out a treatment plan for you."

**HG-TR~~~HG-TR~~~HG-TR~~~HG-TR~~~HG-TR**


	2. Betrayal

Hermione couldn't believe how fast her life had gone down the toilet. First, her parents had been very upset when she finally told them what had been happening to her at Hogwarts...they had been so upset that they decided to move to Australia, taking her with them...which meant leaving her magical life behind her...permanently! Second, was her parents unexpected death. Third, was the total betrayal by those she had considered her friends and substitute family!!!

It was just yesterday when she overheard a rather disturbing conversation...

_"She'll marry me, of course," Ron said rather smugly. "Who else would accept a dying witch as a wife? Especially a dying mudblood! And once we are married and her wand is snapped, she can spend what little time she has left taking care of me, the muggle way!!!"_

_"Oh and by the way, Harry, did you know that according to Bill, there is so much money in her Gringotts' vaults that I can live luxuriously for the rest of my life...never ever having to work a single solitary day? That suits me just fine!"_

_"Ron," Harry interjected. "Did Bill just come out and tell you about Hermione's money? Wouldn't be a betrayal Gringott's terms of employment? I wouldn't want to be in his shoes if they find out he disclosed personal information about one of their clients."_

_"Nah...he never actually said anything to me about it. He was talking to Percy and he didn't know I could hear him," replied Ron. "He made it quite clear that she was loaded!"_

_Continuing, he said, "Anyway, once she is dead, I will inherit ALL her parents' money, which would be only natural as I would be her everloving but oh so grieving husband...and who else would she leave it to anyway? Her biological family is all dead...I made sure of that! Once Hermione is dead and gone, then I can marry my one true love, Lavender, and we can spend the rest of our lives living off of the former Miss Hermione Granger...aka Potter's Mudblood!"_

_"That's rather cold," Fred and Harry replied in unison._

_"Her parent's death," George interjected. "That was rather convenient, wasn't it?"_

_"I don't know what you mean," Ron said haughtily._

_"I think you know more than you are telling, so unless you want me to tell Hermione your plans for her, tell us what happened with her parents! And I mean NOW!" George said forcefully._

_Somewhat sulkily, Ron said, "Well, she told me that she had told her parents everything and that they were going to remove her from our magical world and relocate overseas. I couldn't have that...she is my meal ticket...and the Headmaster promised that she would marry ME!"_

_"So I owled Professor Dumbledore and told him what Hermione's parents were planning to do with regard to her. He replied saying he would take care of it. The next thing I heard was that Bellatrix had tracked them down and butchered them. I don't "know" that they were set up to be killed but I am not asking any questions, either."_

_"Are you sure Hermione would want to marry you in the first place?" Harry asked tentatively._

_"Of course! There wouldn't be anyone else who would want her anyway!!!" Ron replied pompously._

_Fred replied, "What exactly do you mean by that, Ron? What did you do?"_

_"Weellllllllll...I might have let a little rumor go around...just among us guys you know...that Hermione was "second hand goods"...that Malfoy got her last year and had passed her around his fellow snakes. What good pureblood wizard...or any wizard at all...would want her now, much less marry the mudblood slag?" Ron responded sheepishly._

_"Now that is cold...really ice cold, Ron! Don't you have any feelings at all for the chit?" George asked._

_"Nope! She is useful to be around...to do the things I don't want to do while I am making out with Lavender. And it's certainly not going to be like forever...a few years down the road, she will die and everyone will think how noble it was for me to have married a dying mudblood slag."_

_"And as I already said, Professor Dumbledore promised she would marry me. Hermione is still underage and so the Professor is claiming magical guardianship. He can draw up a marriage contract for us and she will have no choice but to follow through. Unless of course, she wants her wand snapped and to be obliviated."_

_"I thought that they couldn't snap your wand if you completed your OWLS successfully, which she did, I believe," Ginny interjected._

_"Well, yes, there is that, but I am not telling her that and none of you will do so either. What she doesn't know won't hurt me... Besides, Professor Dumbledore told me I could snap her wand as she hadn't completed her NEWTS, and as a married woman, she won't be returning to Hogwarts anyway. It just wouldn't be right. And wouldn't Professor Dumbledore know?" Ron replied airily._

_"Look, Ron, I think this sucks, but if you are sure that Hermione loves you enough to marry you even if you are just using her AND would be happy with you, who am I to say otherwise? As you said, it's not as if she is going to have a long life expectancy anyway," Harry said thoughtfully._

_"And just how do you plan on passing this year's NEWTS? It isn't like either of you are academically-inclined to begin with," said Fred thoughtfully. "The whole Order knows that you only made it this far because Hermione has done ALL your homework for you over the last six years, as well as coaching you for all your exams. You two will be lucky to get one NEWT between the two of you, much less any more."_

_"And what about the Dark Lord," chimed in George. "There is no way you would have made it through those Voldemort-related challenges in your first year without Hermione's brains. You would have been Cerebus-food and a brief mention in the history books."_

_"I'll have you know that we will do just fine without Hermione, thank you very much. With her out of the way, Harry and I can show just how brilliant we really are...and then she won't take all the credit for our marks." said Ron belligerently._

_"And frankly speaking, I have had it up to here with her uppity manner. Someone needs to put that mudblood in her place...down by my feet...preferably on her knees!" he chortled lewdly._

_Ginny blushed at her brother's crass comment._

_Harry piped up and said rather defiantly, "We can handle Voldemort all by ourselves. We don't need Hermione interferring and making us look like bumbling idiots. I've had it up to here with her sticking her nose in everything and telling us what to and not to do. Ron and I will be just fine...you'll see!"_

_"Of course, George, you will see...the boys will be amazing!" piped up Ginny loyally._

_"Well Ron and Harry, it's your funeral! I am staying out of this!" replied George._

_"Me too, George, me too!" said Fred._

Hermione was in total shock...she had shared her condition, as well as her prognosis, with what she had thought were her friends...family even...and they had been so thoughtful and encouraging. And now this? She couldn't believe what she had just heard! 

Although Harry...the boy she thought had been her best friend and was like a brother to her...appeared to be appalled by Ron's words, he didn't say one word to defend her...not even the twins really defended her. In fact, Harry seemed quite angry with all that she had done for him...almost like he thought she had been trying to control him. 

Well if the boys thought that they could do it without her, who was she to naysay them. And as for dear, sweet Ron, she wanted no part of him. Even a Death Eater would be a better choice for her...at least they wouldn't be hypocrites, or hide their true scumbag selves from her!

**HG-TR~~~HG-TR~~~HG-TR~~~HG-TR~~~HG-TR**


	3. Gringott's

Early the next morning, Hermione packed the last of her possessions in her undetectable extension bag and snuck out of Ginny's room. She quickly went downstairs and out the front door. She was afraid to use the Burrow's floo as she might be overheard so she crossed the field to the Lovegood's. 

Hermione was quite surprised to see the front door open. She knocked on the door and called out...but the house appeared to be empty. She walked boldly through the front door and grabbing a handful of floo powder, she said, "Leaky Cauldron", and disappeared into the green flames.

**HG-TR~~~HG-TR~~~HG-TR~~~HG-TR~~~HG-TR**

Hermione thought she was probably too early for Gringott's to be open so she sat a table and ordered a full English breakfast and pot of tea. She stretched it out as long as she could, threw a few galleons on to the table and passed through into Diagon Alley.

Straight ahead was Gringott's Bank. It looked like it was still closed but she thought she would just wait outside until it was opened. It wasn't as if she had any other place to go...and she was curious to see if Bill was right...that she did have money...money she hadn't been expecting.

All of a sudden a goblin walked down the steps. "Good-morning, Miss Granger. How can we help you today?"

Hermione took a step back and said, "Good-morning. I didn't think you were open yet for business."

"Not to all and sundry, but we are open to our most valuable clients, and that would include you, Miss Granger!" the goblin replied politely.

Most valuable? They couldn't mean her surely? Perhaps Bill was right...she did have money she knew nothing about. It certainly wouldn't hurt to ask.

"I'd like to talk about my account, please," she replied tentatively.

"Certainly," said the goblin. "If you will follow me, I will take you into my office and we can discuss your account in privacy. My name is Gnarlak and I am your private account manager."

Hermione quickly followed Gnarlak into Gringott's main hall. He took a left turn and led Hermione into the very heart of the bank. Gnarlak's office was quite nice and it puzzled her greatly why she would be taken into an office that ordinarily would be utilized by say a Malfoy. Certainly there must have been a mistake made somewhere...but goblins didn't make mistakes, did they? Did they?

Gnarlak gestured for Hermione to take a seat and then he seated himself. Steepling his fingers, he asked, "Miss Granger, you have questions?"

"Yes, please, Mr. Gnarlak."

"Gnarlak will be just fine, Miss Granger."

"In that case, I am Hermione," and she offered her hand for him to shake, which he accepted. "I guess it started with a conversation I overheard yesterday...one I suspect I wasn't supposed to hear it in the first place."

Stopping to think for a minute, she continued, "I guess I should start at the beginning...or where I think the beginning should be. I finally told my parents everything that had been happening at Hogwarts with Harry Potter, Ron Weasley, and myself. I didn't gloss over it but gave all the gory details and to say that they were abhorred is to put it mildly."

"They decided that it was in my best interest...and at the time, I agreed...to leave with them for Australia...permanently leaving my magical life behind me. A week later, my parents were dead...murdered by Bellatrix and her husband. And I think that this was all my fault!" At this point, Hermione started to cry.

Gnarlak gently interjected, "I highly doubt you helped kill your parents, Hermione. May I get you some tea?"

Hermione nodded through her tears and Gnarlak pressed a button at the side of his desk. Another goblin came in his office and Gnarlak ordered tea for two, plus some sweet biscuits and cake for his guest. Once the tea was delivered, he gestured for Hermione to play mother, which she obliged.

Hermione took a long sip of her tea and continued, "Only yesterday, I learned that the only person in whom I had confided in regarding my parents plans to relocate me, didn't want me to go...he actually seemed like he was entitled to marry me...me and my supposed money. Apparently he wrote to Professor Dumbledore and told him what I had disclosed. A week later, my parents were dead. And my confidante wasn't sure it was an accident."

"And this person's name was?" Gnarlak asked tactfully.

"Ronald Bilious Weasley! He wants to marry me for my money or so he implied! But I don't have that much money. Yes, my parents died but they had mortgages on the house and their dental surgery which had to be paid off first. And then there was the cost of probate. All-in-all, I think I was left with about fifteen thousand pounds...hardly enough to keep Ron in the lap of luxury for the rest of his life!" said Hermione quietly.

"Did he...did he happen to mention his source regarding this money?" Gnarlak gently queried.

"He hadn't heard it directly...apparently Bill and Percy were having a discussion about me and Bill told Percy that I was loaded. Ron overheard and then decided, regardless of whether or not I liked it, he was going to marry me. Wouldn't he have been surprised to find out that there was no money...just enough to get me through my last year's schooling..." she said with a low chuckle.

"Uh, Hermione, that isn't quite true. You are actually our wealthiest client. Did you think that Gringott's private account managers usually greet clients on our doorstep?" he responded.

"Wealthy? As in wealthier than the Malfoy's?" Hermione questioned tentatively.

"Wealthier, Hermione. You are the wealthiest witch in Europe...and in the top five of the whole world. Only two witches in Asia and another two in the U.S. are wealthier than you...."

Hermione fainted clear away!

Hermione awoke to two goblins looming over her, looking anxious, and fanning her with a file folder. "Miss Hermione, are you okay? Should we get a healer for you?"

Hermione took a deep breath and slowly sat up. "No, I am quite fine, Gnarlak. I guess hearing that I am wealthy took me by surprise. I am sure I will be okay."

"Good to hear it, Hermione. It shouldn't have come quite a surprise though. Once we were informed of your parents' demise, we wrote to you to come in and have the magical part of their estate settled. Professor Dumbledore received these requests and refused to redirect them to you, stating that because of your shock, he was handling your affairs."

"Professor Dumbledore went on to imply that now he was your magical guardian and as such, would be controlling your vaults for you and he even went so far as to demand the keys for them. We refused, of course. So, basically, we were at a stalemate."

"Now, Hermione, I am sure you have been wondering why this second goblin is here with me. His name is Banrak." Gnarlak said while gesturing to his associate. 

"It's a pleasure to make your acquaintance, Banrak," said Hermione while extending her hand for him to shake. 

Banrak bowed over her hand, then shook it while replying, "the pleasure is mine, Hermione." Hermione blushed.

Gnarlak continued, "Banrak is our goblin in charge of our wizarding employees. I brought him in because you mentioned that one of our employees had disclosed your wealth to a member of his family, which was overheard by another member of the family. Is that correct, Hermione?"

"That is correct, Gnarlak," Hermione replied quietly. "Bill Weasley discussed it with his brother, Percy Weasley, and Ron Weasley overheard the discussion. Ron then chose to close what Bill had said to Ginny Weasley, Fred and George Weasley, and Harry Potter. I myself heard Ron inform the others."

Banrak thought for a moment before replying, "So five people learned of your wealth through the erring actions of one of our employees, Mr. William Weasley...aka Bill Weasley? Do I have that correct, Miss Hermione?"

Hermione flushed a little and replied, "Hermione will be fine, thank you, Banrak."

"We take confidentiality quite serious here at Gringott's Bank," Banrak said gravely. "If it got out that our employees were disclosing confidential account information...even if it was only within their own family circle...we would lose half our business overnight...and the other half, the next day. It is a grave offense, generally punished by death."

Hermione blanched. "I didn't know that and even though by your rules he deserves death, up until now, his family has been good to me. Is there some way that you can punish him in a way that is short of death or lifetime imprisoned in your mines?"

"What do you have in mind, Hermione?" Gnarlak replied.

"Do you have a branch of Gringotts in say China?" she inquired thoughtfully.

"Why no, we do not," Banrak said with a glint in his eye.

"Why don't you give Bill a HUGE promotion...and permanently transfer him and Fleur to Beijing, China. It will take him ages to learn the language and the culture. And if he screws up again...well China isn't exactly strong on human rights... Besides, he actually did me a favor, although that was probably not his intent."

"What do you mean?" Banrak replied.

"Well...if he had never opened his mouth in the first place, Ron wouldn't have found out and I would have ended up married to him. As hard as it was to hear, I needed to learn that what I thought were my loyal and loving friends were in all actuality, no such thing after all. So, let's not mention his little disclosure...it won't hurt Bill to think he has merited this promotion. That and I don't want everyone to know that I overheard them."

"I understand your reasoning and as you were the party that was offended against, we will follow your request and make arrangements to open our new Beijing office," Banrak replied. 

Gnarlak nodded his approval. He thought that Miss Granger would have made an excellent goblin...an excellent goblin indeed!

**HG-TR~~~HG-TR~~~HG-TR~~~HG-TR~~~HG-TR**


End file.
